1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to chloroacetyl chloride. In one aspect, this invention relates to chloroacetyl chloride containing bis-chloromethyl ether. In another aspect, this invention relates to a process for removing bis-chloromethyl ether from chloroacetyl chloride.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Larsen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,664, teach a method of preparing chloroacetyl chloride (CAC) by photochemically oxidizing vinylidene chloride. While this process is industrially attractive, it does produce small (100-250 ppm) amounts of bis-chloromethyl ether (CME), an impurity and a known carcinogen. Since CAC is used as an intermediate in the manufacture of various pesticides and pharmaceuticals, it is desirable to remove the CME from the CAC prior to the latter's use therein. Moreover, higher production costs are experienced because CME-contaminated CAC prohibits CAC recycling due to CME accumulation. Consequently, more waste is experienced.
The preferential removal of CME from CAC is not amenable to most chemical physical separation methods. CAC and CME are similar in their chemical reactivities and physical properties making separation methods, such as selective adsorption, azeotropic or fractional distillation, or complexing, generally ineffective.